Breaking Ground

Breaking Ground is particularly dedicated to serving chronically street homeless New Yorkers: those who have spent the longest periods, in many cases years, living unsheltered; who may have very limited interaction with social systems and traditional shelter; and who are at greatest risk of dying on the street. Nearly one in three Breaking Ground clients suffers from severe and persistent mental illness. Many struggle with recurrent substance use disorder. One in four Breaking Ground clients is 62 years of age or older. Years spent living in homelessness often leads to very poor physical health. Those with a history of chronic homelessness often present with health status more typically found in someone two decades older. All of our clients are very low- or extremely low-income. At last assessment, the average annual income for a resident of Breaking Ground’s permanent housing was $18,184. Those with a history of chronic homelessness survive on far less – an average of just $10,300 per year.

Through our unique continuum of services – street outreach, a drop-in center, transitional housing, and supportive and affordable housing – we seek to permanently end homelessness for this exceptionally high needs population.

STREET OUTREACH

Street outreach is a crucial component of Breaking Ground’s work with the chronically homeless. Our Street to Home outreach teams are on the street 24 hours per day, every day of the year, encouraging people experiencing homelessness to come inside. Those homeless individuals living completely unsheltered on the city’s streets have often been living this way for years. In many cases, they have lost touch with family and friends, perhaps experienced trauma during their time on the street, and suffered a degree of social isolation. The prospect of moving inside, sleeping in a bed, and living in proximity to others can be extremely uncomfortable for our clients. Outreach workers make repeat visits to develop the level of trust needed to encourage longtime homeless individuals to seek housing and accept services. Once a homeless person is ready to come inside, outreach staff work to connect clients to transitional housing and permanent apartments.

Street to Home served a caseload of 1,660 clients in 2021, successfully connecting more than 446 people to transitional or permanent supportive housing prior to year-end.

DROP-IN CENTER

Our drop-in center in Ozone Park, Queens is a warm, welcoming space where people can work with a case manager toward supportive and affordable housing, get healthy meals, access basic medical and mental health care, meet supportive groups of other people who help to motivate one another, and much more.

Currently serving 16 people at any given time, we are excited that this program is growing toward a 24-hour operation and its full intended capacity of 75 people by 2023.

TRANSITIONAL HOUSING

For many chronically homeless individuals, the emergency shelter system does not work. Safe Havens, which have lower barriers to entry for the most vulnerable street homeless, offer a higher degree of privacy and more freedom. But this does not imply a hands-off approach. With onsite case management, harm reduction support and counseling, primary medical and mental health care, three healthy meals a day, and more, these programs help each individual overcome housing challenges and find pathways out of homelessness and into an apartment of their own.

Each year, our 307 Safe Haven units serve more than 500 homeless New Yorkers, and help more than 100 people move on to permanent housing annually.

PERMANENT HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATION

Breaking Ground is the largest developer and manager of supportive housing in New York City and one of the largest in the United States. We construct or renovate apartment buildings for the exclusive use of low-income and formerly homeless individuals.

Permanent supportive housing – the core of Breaking Ground’s work – is widely considered to be the most effective solution to chronic homelessness. In these settings, formerly homeless individuals live in private apartments with onsite access to comprehensive case management. Case managers help residents to connect with medical care, as well as mental health and substance abuse treatment, as needed; assist them in applying for and securing benefits; and generally address any outstanding problems that could impair their ability to maintain their housing. Employment counseling and job placement assistance are also available. With housing and programming for youth aging out of foster care, adults with mental illness, persons with HIV/AIDS, veterans, families with children, and a growing population of seniors we are serving a diverse population of extremely vulnerable New Yorkers.

Our permanent supportive housing sites are organized as mixed-use residences. This means that each building also has a number of apartments available to low-income individuals and families from the community, thus helping to prevent homelessness among at-risk populations, as well as housing those who have already lost their homes.

Breaking Ground provided 4,572 low-income and formerly homeless people with apartments through our permanent supportive housing in New York City in 2021, a more than 10% increase from the prior year.